The Last Faith is less about revolutionizing the Metroidvania formula and more about staying true to its various elements, putting smooth gameplay and pretty visuals near the top of the list. Combat delivers options for various playstyles, even if the generally even difficulty doesn’t particularly warrant having to go outside of the tried-and-true melee approach. Bosses may not be pushovers, but there’s fun inherent in working out how to best each one, and the game is lengthy enough (and has enough hidden secrets on top of it) to feel a full, satisfying package. While some elements didn’t come off as well as planned — world building and narrative fall flat despite obvious attempts to bring them more into the spotlight, for example — the overall package will still go down a treat for Metroidvania fans, and offers plenty to even bring new followers into the fold.

Fire Emblem Engage emerges as a decent but ultimately fairly forgettable entry in the series. It seems like a game undecided whether it wants to spend its time celebrating the past or leaving its own mark on the series, and doesn’t really do either. Combat is definitely its strongest point, and here tactical RPG fans will find much to appreciate, but other systems feel like they are there out of sense of obligation rather than being designed to fully complement it. It’s still a good and enjoyable game, but with a firmer direction it could’ve made more of an impact.

Lost in Random: The Eternal Die is a very well executed roguelite action RPG that brings players back to the fascinating world of Random. While the foremost focus this time isn’t the narrative, the combat system has received such a shot of adrenaline that it more than makes up for it. Combat flows fast and frantic, with a wealth of offensive options mixing melee combat with dice- and card-based attacks. Though there is some necessary repetition that sets in due to the roguelike nature of the gameplay, the many synergies possible between various moving parts of the battle and upgrade systems make for a wealth of build flexibility. Anyone with any interest in roguelikes like Hades will want to give it a whirl, while the dark fairy tale atmosphere will be appealing to others. The game wants to present a polished, not revolutionary, experience and manages to deliver on this in spades.

Ikenfell is a difficult game to adjudicate on. In terms of its storytelling and visual presentation, it is an enriching experience that always had me eager to know what was going to happen next. From a gameplay standpoint, it’s a dull slog that just feels like it needed more of a punch and a lot less padding. While Ikenfell’s story and characters had me under its spell, it’s hard to look past the bulk of the game, where it just feels like it missed the mark.

So, in the final analysis, we have a game that works hard to be more than the sum of its parts, which is especially important when one of those parts isn't up to par with the industry of today. The result is a package that would have wowed audiences twenty-five years ago, and which holds up decently (but not spectacularly) today. Since Zeboyd Games has shown itself capable of learning and growing from every experience in game design, its next game will hopefully be twice the level of awesome.

Overall, Citizen Sleeper is the kind of game one has to be in the right mood for. The setting is cold and alienating, while the overall mood for much of the game is a desperate struggle for survival against stacked odds. Once the stress of this abates, however, there are some genuinely lovely moments of characterization and storytelling that are absolutely worth it to experience. The challenging dice-based tabletop gaming experience is stressful at first, but loses some of its challenge as situations are dealt with, giving way to lovely and thought-provoking story interludes. With the developer supporting the game further with several pieces of free DLC, there’s a good amount of worthwhile sci-fi to experience here.

On paper, RPG Time: The Legend of Wright is a dazzling love letter to gamers and creators alike. Boasting a unique art style and an audacious commitment to its core gimmick, this is very much a title for gamers that remember doodling in their notebooks all those years ago, dreaming of their own creations. While gorgeous to look at, the game suffers from a bit of an identity crisis, as it is overstuffed with a few too many disparate gameplay systems. However, even those who do not find the gameplay compelling may appreciate the sheer ambition of Kenta’s tale.

Though none of its constituent parts are world-beaters, the feelings they exude make Giraffe and Annika greater than their basic sum. It’s a game that’s ideal for both youngsters and those needing to spend some hours just relaxing or getting some warm, fuzzy feelings.

For those looking for a unique, dread-filled experience in the RPG realm, Vampyr offers a type of game seldom seen. But much like the streets of 1918 London, expect a few bumps along the way.

All in all, Noita‘s package is filled to the brim with content: the descending path down the caves is not the only available one, and multiple secrets are scattered all around the world, granting even more bizarre and wacky effects to experiment with. Even so, much of the fun derived from a playthrough feels more dependent on the luck of the draw rather than the player’s skill and knowledge of the game’s mechanics. A single run can end within minutes, but reaching the credits will likely take multiple tries and over twenty hours, with many more to come if one is set on discovering the multiple hidden mechanics and optional pieces of content. Noita is a challenging roguelite winking at those players who put freedom of exploration and experimentation in high regard, but the heavy reliance on RNG and a steep difficulty curve can hold back anyone from relishing in the chaos more often than not.

While it does have its flaws of being repetitive, I found myself constantly picking it up every night before bed and just powering through sections at a time because it was just a blast to play. Miitopia isn't going to turn heads, nor grab the hardcore RPGamer crowd, but it's a fun little romp for those who want a much more compact and simple RPG experience.

Aether & Iron is the sort of game I like to see exist. It populates a novel setting with an interesting cast of characters and uses them to build upon a solid gameplay structure, while trying out plenty of its own ideas. There are definitely flaws within, but despite these, it’s ultimately a very enjoyable game to play through, and I would be very happy to continue Gia Randazzo’s story in the future.

Hard West has flavor and grit in spades, but it's hard not to wonder what it could have been had its Kickstarter campaign been even more successful. It's not a game for anyone who wants to foster a posse through a single campaign, or who cares about individuals over the demands of the conglomerate plot. Analytic-minded hombres who appreciate unforgiving battles, step right up.

Code of Princess provides an excellent means of satisfying the reptile-brain impulses within me, and like many other games in this genre it will be there whenever I need a sudden adrenaline boost. That makes it a difficult game to recommend for anyone without a reptilian brain that sometimes demands relief, but it satisfies the urge to concuss everything in sight splendidly.

Luckily, a solid cast of characters keeps things interesting long enough to continue to enjoy the game’s addicting combat. There’s enough good in the battle system for fans of the genre to get plenty of enjoyment out of it, but the formulaic gameplay loop and bland story keep this from being a true gem.

While I loved Escha & Logy the first time I played it, this time around I did see more blemishes than perhaps I wanted to admit. While it's fun to have a Dressing Room feature where I can make everyone look like pirates, I am still frustrated at how Gust hasn't ironed out the wrinkles in these versions. Flaws aside, I still loved replaying this game, imperfections and all.

While I clearly had issues with the actual gameplay parts of The Witcher 2, the story and characters were memorable enough to make it worthwhile, mostly because of how real they felt. While it starts off rough, has a steep learning curve, and offers a lot of places where it can get frustrating, in the end the experience was worth the effort. With a little more polish on the controls and interface, this series can continue to mature into something truly outstanding.

Dying Light 2 is a delightfully fast paced game, which has a few persistent issues bogging it down. Most issues have already started getting fixed, such as the audio bugs and auto save issues, but enemies being frozen in place and some quests having NPCs make odd choices still drags it down a bit. Still, even on the older console the game runs pretty great and load times are surprisingly not noticeable. The main story ramps up well with characters that matter and moments that vary from harrowing escapes to fun fights. Every moment of parkour is a treat, and combat does just well enough to stay out of the way, with a day/night cycle that varies, meaning there’s always something new to do. Here’s hoping those issues continue to get ironed out and leave the game to be what it’s best at, a harrowing fast-paced survival RPG with plenty to explore and loot.

Shujinkou is a great cover letter in the history of Rice Games, putting the developer on the radar of RPGamers. The game pays a fair homage to several of its influences such as some Atlus entries and also brings some good new ideas to the table. Learning Japanese is optional, but even for casual players vaguely interested in learning, some words will linger on their minds, and the didactic approach is a great idea. Shujinkou has some flaws that can dismay some players, but the overall experience is great and makes one look forward to the next release of Rice Games.

At the end of the day Silent Hill: Book of Memories manages to provide a change of pace to the dungeon crawling genre which has become somewhat stale.

It’s impossible to miss the overall sense of fun that permeates every aspect of Echo Generation. From its coming-of-age concept to its silly, sometimes irreverent narrative turns, to its memorable presentation, it’s clear this is a pure passion project for its developers. The narrative may not be the hardest-hitting stuff, and combat eventually becomes more of a chore than its payoff is worth due to spongy late-game enemies. But anybody who enjoys a sci-fi yarn that blends Stand by Me with The X-Files, or grew up in the ’90s, will still find plenty to enjoy here.

For those who were disappointed by the previous Harvest Moon offerings on the PlayStation Portable, this one is sure to delight, though it's not without a few flaws.

There's no strong reason to go back and play the original version of Mario and Luigi with this one around, and I had about as much fun now as I did in 2003. The interface amenities are certainly a nice touch, Bowser's Minions is a very respectable addition, and having a beefed-up role for the Koopalings as minions is something I personally delighted in experiencing. It's certainly not going to convert anyone who never cared for this style of game, but what's here is a fun romp.

I have to admit how pleasantly surprised I was by how much I enjoyed my time with GrimGrimoire OnceMore. I didn’t anticipate how much I would love the game’s overall atmosphere and real-time strategy combat. It’s also appreciable that the game doesn’t outstay its welcome, clocking in just shy of ten hours, though this can vary based on the difficulty and how much of the trial content is completed. It’s definitely not a game for everyone, but it has such a unique charm to it that it’s worth checking out.

Keylocker has a lot of things going for it, and is a genuinely good experience with the right expectations. The narrative is lacking polish, but inside it are some genuinely exciting and interesting moments. The gameplay is in a similar state, but when the combat is good it’s really good and offers a satisfying take on traditional turn-based combat. Keylocker hits the wrong note a few times, but boy is there a lot to like in its performance.

Its friendly difficulty options cater to all abilities, providing strong challenges to those who want it and not getting in the way of those who don't, while the humour and vibrant graphics provide a great first impression. Its combat and gameplay loop can become a bit stale towards the end, with the kingdom building only playing a bit part and there being a few UI and control issues to overcome, but there's still plenty to like and no reason whatsoever for the developers' dynasties to end here.

Bloomtown: A Different Story combines familiar aspects of popular Stranger Things and Persona franchises and twists them to create something different. The narrative does a solid job of blending horror and comedy with colourful visuals and catchy music. However, the gameplay loop just doesn’t quite have the tightness to make things properly tick. Demon fusing, bonding, and time limits are at times refreshingly straightforward, yet also frustrating in their lack of depth. There’s definitely something to be gained from taking a hike in and around Bloomtown, though its quirks prevent it from being a must stay locale.

The game is straightforward to get into and adds new aspects at an engaging pace without becoming bogged down in too much repetition. However, its lack of challenge will make it almost trivial and what depth is present likely won't be enough for dungeon-crawler veterans. Experience has them covered elsewhere though.